1
00:00:02,135 --> 00:00:04,671
keep people warm. Diana
of Administration, thanks

2
00:00:04,738 --> 00:00:06,974
very much.
>> Thank you.

3
00:00:07,641 --> 00:00:11,845
>> With more than 45 data
centers in Wisconsin and

4
00:00:11,912 --> 00:00:14,414
more planned and announced
in what feels like every

5
00:00:14,481 --> 00:00:18,285
day, local communities
already grapple with zoning

6
00:00:18,352 --> 00:00:20,587
issues and public pushback.
But now comes a state

7
00:00:20,654 --> 00:00:23,724
legislative bill to
regulate the centers built

8
00:00:23,790 --> 00:00:26,827
by tech giants like
Microsoft and Meta to

9
00:00:26,894 --> 00:00:29,463
process artificial
intelligence data.

10
00:00:29,530 --> 00:00:32,566
Democratic state Senator
Jodi Habush Sinykin of

11
00:00:32,633 --> 00:00:35,402
Whitefish Bay is author of
the bill. And Senator,

12
00:00:35,469 --> 00:00:37,304
thanks very much for being
here.

13
00:00:37,371 --> 00:00:39,806
>> Thank you. I appreciate
the invitation.

14
00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:42,843
>> Why does Wisconsin need
a law regulating these data

15
00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:46,380
centers?
>> Wisconsin currently has

16
00:00:47,614 --> 00:00:51,251
no laws on the book books
that provide any regulatory

17
00:00:51,318 --> 00:00:55,422
oversight with regard to
transparency,

18
00:00:55,489 --> 00:00:59,826
accountability for water
usage, for energy rates,

19
00:00:59,893 --> 00:01:03,463
for those community impacts
that people are very

20
00:01:03,530 --> 00:01:07,768
concerned about. So this
legislation is intended to

21
00:01:07,835 --> 00:01:11,572
provide that overarching
regulatory framework to

22
00:01:11,638 --> 00:01:14,441
fill that current vacuum.
>> How much does the

23
00:01:14,508 --> 00:01:17,811
proliferation of these
centers feel like? The wild,

24
00:01:17,878 --> 00:01:21,114
wild West?
>> A lot, very much so. As

25
00:01:22,449 --> 00:01:25,853
I have been hearing from my
constituents and others

26
00:01:25,919 --> 00:01:28,689
around the state, there is
this recognition that in

27
00:01:28,755 --> 00:01:34,127
the absence of information
there. It creates worry and

28
00:01:34,194 --> 00:01:37,497
distrust and uncertainty
about the impacts, not just

29
00:01:37,564 --> 00:01:39,766
on themselves and their
families and communities,

30
00:01:39,833 --> 00:01:43,670
but for our futures.
>> How does your bill

31
00:01:43,737 --> 00:01:46,573
protect utility ratepayers
or consumers?

32
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,376
>> It's a great question
because we really wanted to

33
00:01:49,443 --> 00:01:54,081
focus on that in terms of
the transparency and

34
00:01:54,147 --> 00:01:57,918
accountability. Again,
too high in Wisconsin, and

35
00:01:57,985 --> 00:02:01,722
with winter coming on, it's
very much front and center

36
00:02:01,788 --> 00:02:03,490
on people's minds,
especially in these

37
00:02:03,557 --> 00:02:07,494
uncertain economic times.
So what this bill does is

38
00:02:07,561 --> 00:02:11,832
it establishes a very large
customer class, which these

39
00:02:11,899 --> 00:02:15,636
big data and data centers
would fall into, and that

40
00:02:15,702 --> 00:02:18,605
class would be responsible
for the extremely high

41
00:02:18,672 --> 00:02:23,243
energy production needs
that they call upon, not

42
00:02:23,877 --> 00:02:25,779
individuals or families
separate from them.

43
00:02:25,846 --> 00:02:30,184
>> How does it track water
usage and to what end?

44
00:02:31,318 --> 00:02:34,555
>> That's also a question
that people have in a very

45
00:02:34,621 --> 00:02:38,859
legitimate concern. People
are very curious about how

46
00:02:38,926 --> 00:02:42,496
much water will be used,
particularly from the Great

47
00:02:42,563 --> 00:02:46,166
Lakes, is what I hear a lot
of. And again, this bill is

48
00:02:46,233 --> 00:02:49,636
very focused on
accountability and

49
00:02:49,703 --> 00:02:52,840
transparency, which is very
much part of Wisconsin's

50
00:02:52,906 --> 00:02:55,609
values. And rather than
allowing the water use to

51
00:02:55,676 --> 00:03:00,013
be hidden with some of
these non-disclosure

52
00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,683
and the like, it requires
the disclosure of how much

53
00:03:02,749 --> 00:03:05,586
water will be used and in
what fashion.

54
00:03:05,652 --> 00:03:08,589
>> In the face of a state
law addressing data centers,

55
00:03:08,655 --> 00:03:11,625
how important in your mind
is local control?

56
00:03:11,692 --> 00:03:15,629
>> Local control is where
it all begins. People don't

57
00:03:15,696 --> 00:03:17,764
always understand that. So
I'm really glad you asked

58
00:03:17,831 --> 00:03:22,302
about that. The idea of
where these data centers

59
00:03:23,637 --> 00:03:28,408
developments proceed happen
at the local level by local

60
00:03:28,475 --> 00:03:32,846
city officials and
governments. For the state

61
00:03:32,913 --> 00:03:37,117
legislators like myself, I
feel we need to show up at

62
00:03:37,184 --> 00:03:40,521
the table from the state
level to provide some kind

63
00:03:40,587 --> 00:03:43,724
of uniformity and a
regulatory framework, again,

64
00:03:43,790 --> 00:03:47,294
that helps hold these big
data centers and big tech

65
00:03:47,361 --> 00:03:50,664
accountable to Wisconsin.
>> What kind of bipartisan

66
00:03:50,731 --> 00:03:54,301
support do you have for
this regulatory bill?

67
00:03:54,368 --> 00:03:57,638
>> Well, we were just
introduced it last week,

68
00:03:57,704 --> 00:04:00,340
but I'm again, glad you
glad that you asked this,

69
00:04:00,407 --> 00:04:04,411
because I am very much
hoping for bipartisan

70
00:04:04,478 --> 00:04:09,383
support for this bill
myself. I'm a Democrat, but

71
00:04:09,449 --> 00:04:13,387
my Republican colleagues
are hearing from the same

72
00:04:13,453 --> 00:04:16,723
constituents with the same
concerns about property

73
00:04:16,790 --> 00:04:19,526
value impacts, water usage.
As we've already discussed,

74
00:04:19,593 --> 00:04:23,564
energy rates, climate
change concerns with regard

75
00:04:23,630 --> 00:04:28,068
for hopes for renewable
energy, all of that. But

76
00:04:28,135 --> 00:04:31,505
because the legislature is
very much still controlled

77
00:04:31,572 --> 00:04:34,875
by the Republican in both
the Senate, Republicans, in

78
00:04:34,942 --> 00:04:39,413
both the Senate and the
Assembly, we need them to

79
00:04:39,479 --> 00:04:44,251
lean into this, an interest
in providing a regulatory

80
00:04:44,318 --> 00:04:48,856
framework for our state,
because they decide where

81
00:04:48,922 --> 00:04:51,825
to what committee, and
whether or not there will

82
00:04:51,892 --> 00:04:56,463
be a hearing held. And I
really want to underscore

83
00:04:57,464 --> 00:05:00,067
because that's when the
public comes in and shares

84
00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:04,705
their thoughts, their
concerns, their asks. And

85
00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:10,511
that's how bills across the
board become better. That's

86
00:05:10,577 --> 00:05:13,113
the iterative process that
is so important here. But

87
00:05:13,180 --> 00:05:17,317
we need Republicans to
important next step.